Every Little Thing With You Is Magic
by time-failed-us
Summary: Hogwarts AU. From first year to seventh year, Jason and Reyna navigate the moving stairs of Hogwarts: academics, Quidditch, competition, feelings, and magic. Primarily Jeyna and Percabeth.
1. The Day Before Hogwarts

The Day Before Hogwarts

Jason's biceps were crying. His legs were dragging. The twelve-year-old boy was not in high spirits today.

He should've done his shopping much much earlier, but his mother wasn't exactly responsible, and his father Zeus was more absent that not, citing "business trips" as his reason for abandoning his son and daughter. Sure, Jason understood that Zeus had a Ministry to run. But was that an excuse to leave his son to fend for himself on the day before Jason's first day at Hogwarts?

Scurrying to lean against the aged brick wall of Diagon Alley, it was all Jason could do to stop himself from being swept into the crowd of over-bearing parents hustling their children to get new robes and stationery.

"Father. I absolutely _must_ have this parchment. Feel it. _Look at it_. In comparison, the stuff you insist on buying for me is, for lack of a better adjective, _buttwipe_ -level bad." Jason giggled at the snooty tantrum being thrown by a small, scrawny boy with stringy silvery hair.

"Octavian, _no_. I do not have time for this. I am too busy," the boy's father replied with a sigh, steering his son by the shoulders with no effort at all.

"At least you got the syllables right," the boy named Octavian muttered bitterly.

Feeling slightly better about himself because hey, at least he didn't have to whine to his father about what he wanted to get, Jason checked out his next destination.

 _Other Equipment: 1 wand_

 _Yes!_ Jason grinned, hurriedly picking up his bags, already filled with his cauldron and other potion-making essentials. He had been excited about finally getting a wand—though he'd had ample opportunities to play around with magic as his father had always bent the rules (ironically, as Zeus was meant to uphold the rules as Minister), and Thalia loved practicing charms on her baby brother. Unfortunately though, his sister had bumped into her fellow second-years in muggle London, and they'd whisked her off to go ogle at the painstakingly slow red buses.

He walked into Ollivanders to a shower of sparks. Unable to help himself, Jason squeaked in surprise. The elderly Ollivander charmed boxes of wands out of their perches, and the young blond wizard smiled at how the shelves reshuffled themselves to fill gaps as wands were pulled out of their stacks.

"Not this one either?" a clear female voice addressed the wandmaker, steady with confidence, as if she was speaking to an audience of enraptured listeners. "I'm terribly sorry for causing so much… mess."

The owner of the voice stood before the shop's counter, smouldering wand in hand. It was a girl, about Jason's age, slightly taller than himself. She was already dressed in impeccably neat Hogwarts uniform save for the robes, with a sleek single braid of raven hair contrasting against the white button-up blouse draping down her back. Jason noticed that she stood impressively straight, shoulders squared, like the way his father would when he was telling Jason off.

Before he could help it, Jason had stepped closer. "Don't worry," he said rather uselessly, "I'm sure you'll find the perfect wand."

The girl turned sharply towards him, regaling him with dark, gleaming eyes. For a moment, Jason was intimidated. Then, she turned back towards the counter as if he hadn't uttered a word, carefully replacing the wand she had tried back into its box.

Just as Jason was about to shrivel in embarrassment at being totally and utterly ignored, the girl spoke. "I think you mean that the perfect wand will find me," she corrected calmly, the edge of her mouth lifting a little in victory. Jason didn't know how to respond to that.

The next wand Ollivander chose for her, a long, smooth ebony one, worked perfectly—a beautiful flame erupted from the tip of her wand and circled around her arm as if the wand wanted to give its new owner a hug. After paying, she had left, and Jason couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she hadn't said goodbye, though he was happy that she had gotten her wand.

His own was black walnut with phoenix feather; a slightly rugged grip at one end gave him good control, while the opposite end tapered to a graceful tip, and it rested solidly in his palm.

* * *

Next stop: books.

Jason weighed the pouch of galleons that his father had left on the table this morning, instructing him to spend it wisely on equipment. It was still more than half full, thank Merlin—all the more to spend at the bookstore!

Growing up, Jason had been a bit of a loner. His parents had insisted on him being home-schooled until he was of age to go to Hogwarts, rather than send him to muggle school. His teacher had actually been one of the Hogwarts professors, Chiron, who owed his father a favour… long story. Anyway, Jason had limited exposure to other people, instead taking solace in reading and learning more about magic and Hogwarts—he'd always known that his true calling was to be an Auror one day. He was, however, really excited to go to real school for the first time with people his own age… no offense to the centuries-old Chiron.

Ah, the sweet smell of parchment. Jason took a deep breath and, book list in hand, scanned the shelves for his titles. In the Transfiguration aisle, he had a bit of fun with pulling out whatever caught his eye and flipping through. He'd always loved the idea of transfiguration.

Just as he was nose-deep in an understandable (most wizard authors loved fancying up their language, to Jason's chagrin) book called _The Modern Guide to Practical Transfiguration: It's Not As Useless As You Think_ , he heard a shuffle of a book sliding out of its place.

"Don't you think that's a bit advanced for you?" Jason blinked to focus, seeing the same raven braid as in Ollivander's. The girl raised an eyebrow at the book in his hands, while she held up her copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_. "This is the one you'll be needing for first year."

"How do you know I'm going into first year?" Jason quipped, sky blue eyes sparkling. "Besides, this book is much more practical. It's got tips on using transfiguration in battle." The girl pursed her slender lips, sliding the book she was holding into her book bag. Jason glimpsed a spine titled: _The Ins and Outs of Magical Duelling_. He smiled good-naturedly at her, trying to get a positive reaction. "Looks like you're doing some research of your own, too."

She looked away briefly, caught, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Can't blame me if I want to know more," she spoke back, words sharp as if he had accused her of something. "Duelling sounds awesome. Now if you'll excuse me."

Before Jason could think of a retort, she had slipped past him and disappeared.

* * *

His last stop at Diagon Alley was Madam Malkin's, for three sets of "work robes". Jason couldn't understand how it would at all be practical to move around in robes, much less work in them.

"Robes, my dear?" the stout older woman behind the counter smiled kindly down at the blond. Jason nodded enthusiastically. "Dearie me, all this last-minute shopping! It's lucky I've got so many helping hands!" Madam Malkin laughed to herself as she ushered Jason to a stool in front of a long line of mirrors, waving her wand to summon a tape measure to do her bidding.

 _Splack._ "Get off!" _Whap._ "Hey! Darling, please do not assault my tapes."

In the mirror, Jason saw a girl with a braid— _the_ girl with the braid—get hit by a flying tape measure. With irritation and disproportionate anger in her eyes, she fought off the tape, flinging it triumphantly to the ground with a few clever movements of her arms. It was terribly amusing, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her antics.

Her gaze snapped to his, and a flash of recognition ignited her obsidian orbs. "You again," she stated, momentary anger wearing off and quickly replaced with the cool, collected poise that Jason now associated particularly with her.

"Me again," he nodded. "I didn't know that by duelling, you meant beating up tape measures."

As he saw a frown crease her brows, Jason internally berated himself. It wasn't like him to mouth off so much, and it wouldn't do him any good to start off on the wrong foot with someone who most likely also went to Hogwarts.

He flashed her a small smile to show that it was all in good fun. Stepping off the stool, Jason looked over her shoulder, seeing a line of house-coloured scarves. "What house are you in?" Honestly, he didn't expect her to answer after he'd so blatantly made fun of her embarrassment.

"I don't know yet."

The girl was now looking at him with curiosity, and he had the weirdest feeling that she was trying to read his mind to predict his next move. She approached life like a game of Wizard's Chess, he thought. One day, he'd like to play against her.

"So you're a first year, too?" Pause. "I'm Jason. Jason Grace."

She fingered the tassels on a Ravenclaw scarf, then held out her hand. "Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano."

He shook her hand—her shake was firm. It was nice to know that tomorrow, he'd be seeing a familiar face during the daunting Sorting Ceremony.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi guys, I'm back! Kinda... This is my first attempt at a Hogwarts AU for Jeyna, because there aren't enough of these out there! :) As always, following and favourite-ing encourages me to keep writing, and I hope you love it. It's been a while, but Jeyna always has my heart.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

 **Next chapter: SORTING!**

 **time-failed-us**


	2. The Sorting Ceremony

**Thank you Guest "yesyesyes" for the really kind comments :) appreciate them so much and glad you liked Ch. 1!**

* * *

The Sorting Ceremony

Hogwarts with its grandiose turrets and magnificent moat stunned Jason to his toes, but what really blew the young blond away was the Great Hall. Four tables seemed to stretch long past Jason's realm of vision, while in the distance, he had to crane his neck to get a view of the new Headmaster Professor McGonagall standing regally behind a dinky-looking pointed wizard's hat on a smoothened mahogany stool.

 _Smoothened by many a young wizard's butt_ , Jason mused.

It didn't take Dumbledore to notice that each table had a theme colour. As he trailed in after the rest of the wide-eyed first-years struggling to take in the splendour of the twinkling stars on the bewitched ceiling and the atmosphere of warmth and excitement that surrounded the annual first feast, Jason noted the eruption of house pride that showed at each table: bursts of sunny yellow from clapping Hufflepuffs; shades of blue on striped Ravenclaw ties; whooping Gryffindors in waving red-and-gold flags; smirking Slytherins boasting emerald green.

How could he possibly choose between four equally admirable houses? Luckily, he didn't have to, the Sorting Hat (which for some miracle was kept in immaculate condition even through the Wars) would take care of that.

The hall hushed as Headmaster McGonagall cast her steely gaze upon the students. Then, just as all breaths stuck in throats for fear of the fearsome woman's wrath, the Sorting Hat burst into life with a cranking sound as it shook itself out impressively and rose to its full height.

Then it began to sing.

 _"_ _You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart; their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart…"_

The Gryffindors sat at the table immediately to Jason's left. He felt a pair of intense eyes watching him—blue like his own, but with no other features in common. Gathering his courage, he shot Thalia a wry look, not having the courage to do much else in his jittery, anxious state.

His sister narrowed her eyes and mouthed ' _Slytherin'_ —Jason frowned, until the dark-haired girl then slid her finger across her throat. Message received: if he was sorted into her rival house, he would be dead to her.

Then, she yelped and broke their staring match as Nearly Headless Nick playfully ruffled Thalia's hair. Jason thought that if he were sorted into Gryffindor, he'd definitely get along with the frazzled ghost, who seemed to like picking on Thalia, much to her chagrin.

But how could he be a Gryffindor if he was too scared to stand up to his absentee father, alcoholic mother and hellish stepmother Hera?

 _"_ _You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal; those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil…"_

His gaze drifted over to Hufflepuff table, which was on the far left beside the Gryffindors. They seemed nice, welcoming even, smiling brightly at the first years. From his readings of the now-banned Tri-Wizard Tournament, Jason had always admired Cedric Diggory for his cunning and bravery. Bravery wasn't just restricted to Gryffindor. And neither were the Hufflepuffs just the "dump" of wizards who weren't reckless enough, or clever enough, or slimy enough.

Jason thought that perhaps he'd find a few friends in Hufflepuff, though the yellow would not go well with his own blond hair.

 _"_ _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind; where those of wit and learning will always find their kind…"_

Wit and learning. Jason frowned. Surely, after so many decades, Hogwarts would have updated their Sorting Hat to find a more inclusive, wider-ranging song? Surely, people weren't still entombed in their primordial views on sorting wizards into houses?

How could a hat, no matter how perceptive, possibly see through a person and see only a "ready mind"? Jason didn't like that Ravenclaws were reduced to just intelligence, just as he protested his family's obsession with Gryffindor and antagonism of Slytherins. One would think that after two Wars, all stemming from an ancient idea of superiority, people would have changed.

Still, he thought that the Ravenclaws were pretty cool—after all, Luna Lovegood, one of the coolest war heroines Jason had idolised, was a Ravenclaw. So was the current Head of the Auror's Office, Athena. The differences between the two equally respectable women only went to show that this house was one to revere, with its members possessing "wit and learning" of many kinds…

 _"_ _Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends; those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends."_

Jason just about rolled his eyes at that statement.

* * *

Their names were called one by one, in alphabetical order.

He tried to remember some people's names for future reference, but his own nerves as the list slowly approached the G's stopped Jason from thinking properly.

"Grace, Jason!"

He almost didn't register his own name being called out, until: "HEY BABYFACE, MOVE IT!" was shouted from the Gryffindor table. Jason's sister's call was immediately shushed by the teachers' dark glares, but it was enough to break him out of his trance.

With shaking hands, he deposited the Sorting Hat on his blond mop, sitting precariously on the stool, trying not to think about how many heads and hands had touched the hat previously.

 _I know what you're thinking_ , a voice boomed, startling Jason—it seemed to come directly from his own mind rather than into his ears. The Sorting Hat laughed. _Don't worry, I keep myself clean._

 _Sorry_ , Jason projected into his mind. _Didn't mean that, really, I didn't. Thinking about stupid things keeps my mind clear when I'm nervous._

 _Well, don't be!_ The Sorting Hat chided good-naturedly. _And let me do my job. Let's see. This is difficult. You see, I'm tempted to put you into Gryffindor. You have the courage, I can sense it—a lot of potential for you to grow into a… An upstanding young man. Yes. Wouldn't your father be proud?_

Jason stayed silent, trying his best not to influence the Hat's decision.

 _On the other hand, I see that you are a strategic thinker, are you not? Yes. A bit of a loner._ Jason cringed. _Now, don't be disappointed! In Hogwarts you shall flourish! But this means that Gryffindor may be a tad too rowdy and reckless for you._

The Hat humphed and garrumphed. _What about Hufflepuff? Surely they'd bring out the best in you! I see your loyalty and humility. Your morality and sense of justice. But if you've already got that down pat, do you need even more? Dare I say, it would bore you…_

 _I don't get bored very easily_ , Jason supplied eagerly. _I'm left on my own a lot—_

 _Indeed_ , the Hat interjected, _and I consider your independence and determination to show your father your worth quite a Slytherin trait. You have the makings of a very powerful wizard, Grace, it is in your blood!_

Jason blushed. Slytherin was such an intimidatingly strong house, excelling in all ways. He was happy that the Hat even considered it as a possibility.

 _However…_ Once again the Hat paused. _In our conversation, you have talked about thinking a lot. You have considered your options and weighed their merits. Strong-willed and always seeking to improve yourself, I see—and how better to flourish than with others equally as inquisitive as you, possessing a level mind at all that they do, yet also differing greatly in personality?_

 _And I've done it again! Grace, you shall be a_ RAVENCLAW!

The Hall boomed with the echoes of the Sorting Hat's voice, sounding aloud its final decision. The table of Ravenclaws, sitting in the middle of the Hall next to the Gryffindors, thundered with claps and cheers. Bowing his head bashfully, Jason leaped off the stage and bounded over to his new table. Secretly, he was glad.

A tall, lean blond who looked at least two years older waved Jason over. "New blood! Over here!" Jason manoeuvred his way to sit where the boy had indicated, next to a girl with blonde ringlets tied into a ponytail (which didn't do much to decrease its volume).

"I'm Malcolm Chase," the teen greeted after Jason had introduced himself, fingering his blue bowtie. "And this is my sister—"

"Annabeth," the blonde, curly-haired girl beside Jason piped up. He noticed that she had stunning grey eyes, the colour of slate. She smiled at him. "I'm a first year, too. Thank Godric I got sorted into Ravenclaw. Actually, I guess I should start saying 'thank Rowena'? Doesn't have the same ring to it, though, does it?"

"Not really", Jason agreed. "The Hat had trouble deciding for me."

Annabeth nodded fervently. "Me too! Sweet Salazar, it wanted me in Slytherin! I mean, I wouldn't have minded, but—Ravenclaw's where I always thought I'd belong."

"Hope I can say the same… My sister over there is already planning to disown me," he winced, seeing Thalia's face. But Annabeth just laughed, and Jason laughed too, and he knew in that moment that he had found his first friend.

* * *

"Jackson, Perseus!"

A boy with messy black hair and playful green eyes hurtled towards the stool on stage, almost tipping it over in the process. "Please don't call me that, it's Percy to you all," the boy grinned widely, shoving the hat onto his head. Then, seeing McGonagall's withering look, he amended: "madam-Headmaster-madam-Professor, madam?"

Jason's mouth flew open. No way! There was only one person who could manage to say much more than he needed to say at the worst of times to say it; only one person who fidgeted almost as though to _not_ fidget would take more effort; only one person with a name like Perseus.

Percy!

To no avail, Jason tried to catch Percy's eye, but Percy had screwed them shut, no doubt having a heated argument with the Sorting Hat. Typical Percy. The black-haired boy was Jason's cousin, and they were quite close whenever they could see each other—unfortunately, his father Poseidon, the owner of a global wizards' seaside resort chain, and Jason's own father Zeus did not get along. Though brothers, the two wizards were notorious for their rocky relationship, always trying to one-up each other's achievements, resulting in catastrophic consequences and destruction.

Percy was sorted into Gryffindor.

When Percy sat down at his new table, wearing a proud look on his face, Jason waved. Percy's face lit up. "I'm a Gryffindor, Jason!" he hollered over the din.

Jason gave his friend a thumbs up. "But Ravenclaw is better!"

"No way, I'm gonna beat you in Quidditch, you'll see!" Percy stuck his tongue out in defiance.

"Ramirez-Arellano, Reyna Avila!"

Jason's attention was snatched away from his cousin as his head snapped in the direction of the stage, where a certain girl with big, dark eyes and a long, black braid (wearing robes over her uniform this time) perched onto the stool, lowering the hat over the crown of her head.

Though Reyna's body language was calm and collected as always, the Sorting Hat looked so out of place and way too big for her head—Jason chuckled at the incongruity as the hat slid down her nose.

It seemed like Jason had been waiting for an eternity as the seconds ticked by with Reyna wearing the Hat—some part of him hoped that she would end up in Ravenclaw. She certainly seemed to be smart and quick-witted. It would be nice to get to know her better. Maybe see if there was more to her than the tough composure and swift retorts.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Darn it.

Reyna slipped off the hat and stalked to the smug Slytherins—it seemed that the crowd of first years hushed and parted for her to pass, as if she was a ticking bomb that would explode at a single touch. Still, Jason could tell that Reyna was quite satisfied with the house she was put in.

To his delight, she sat directly behind him. Jason swivelled and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hi," he said softly, so as not to startle her.

Reyna turned with a discrete curve of her lips. "Jason, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ravenclaw… Not bad," Reyna commented. On reflex, she caught the green-and-silver striped house tie that had been tossed her way by another Slytherin—Jason was impressed by the smoothness and purposefulness of her every action. With deft fingers as if she had practiced a thousand times just for that moment, Reyna tied the fabric around her neck, straightening and tucking it into her grey cardigan.

"Green suits you."

Reyna smoothed her braid to rest over her shoulder. "Thank you. I thought myself a Ravenclaw initially, but the Sorting Hat was adamant."

"You'll be great," Jason encouraged. There was something about Reyna that made him bolder, made him want to support her and gain her friendship. "Trust the system, I guess."

Her eyes turned ominous. "Until it defies you."

With that statement, Reyna went back to her table, and Jason was left to ponder over what she had meant and why she had sounded as though she spoke from experience.

But first, a feast!

* * *

 **A/N: Trying to update and write as much as possible while I'm still on midterm break. Love Jercy and Jasabeth as BrOTPs, honestly!**

 **ft. enigmatic!Reyna...**

 **My tumblr is donot-notdothis ;) follow me, friends!**

 **time-failed-us**


	3. First Year

**Even if you don't agree with my sortings, please don't write off this story or any of the characters. I have my reasons; for the most part, house politics won't matter as much in this story, and will not affect the personalities of the characters. Enjoy! This is probably my favourite chapter so far, featuring one of the best memes that PJO has to offer... ;)**

* * *

First Year

 **The Common Room**

They'd been at Hogwarts for a few months now, and Jason pretty much understood how things around here went. Dare he say that it felt comfortable, like home? He counted himself lucky for being in Ravenclaw. His house, full of eccentrics and quirks, never ceased to inspire the young blond. Ravenclaw seniors had the best tips and tricks for getting into professors' good graces, as well as memorising tough potions and slipping in and out of the dorms without Filch and Mrs Norris noticing.

A little-known fact about the Ravenclaws was that their common room was an absolute mess. An organised mess. Jason adored how textbooks littered the floor, almost always opened with a quill keeping place when a student took a study break. He loved that every Tuesday, there was a house knitting club that consisted of all manners of wizards and witches with only one rule: that the only colours they could knit with were blue and bronze. On Thursdays, Jason would warm his feet in one of the beanbags by the fire, feeling as if he was being enveloped by a hug, while catching onto snippets of the heated debates when the Book Club convened.

And he didn't even mention the magical free-flow drinks "machine", which was in fact just a teapot that poured out any kind of drink that you desired at the moment. Despite the fact that it was a teapot and not a hot-chocolate-pot.

"Uuuuuurgh!"

Jason startled to attention, unfurling himself—he had been hunched over a table (in the Study Hall, an extension of the Common Room) intently writing a parchment for Potions on "The Proper Handling and Usage of Mandrake Root". Bushy blonde hair sprouted by his elbow, making him laugh as Annabeth, his housemate and best female friend, burrowed her head into her arms. Jerking back upright dramatically, the girl loosened her tie, grumbling all the while.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong, Annabeth?"

"What's _wrong_ ," Annabeth said pointedly, "is that the guy who sits next to me in Charms _sleeps_ through the lesson."

Jason's brows lifted. Annabeth had been complaining about her Charms neighbour for what seemed like forever. It was either that he drifted off during class, or that he made the most idiotic mistakes, or—

"And what's worse…" Annabeth paused for effect, slapping the table lightly so that Jason looked back right into her petulant stormy eyes, "is that he has the _nerve_ to _drool_ in his sleep."

Jason chuckled at his friend's antics. "Hey, watch it. That's my esteemed cousin you're slandering, and he has a name!"

"Yeah, yeah, Percy 'seaweed-for-brains' Jackson," Annabeth deadpanned. "How is he not failing class? I can't believe it. Professor Apollo notices him—I know he does! Why does he let Jackson off the hook like this?"

"Probably because, judging by the way he dresses, Apollo used to be just like Percy." At this, Annabeth sniggered, all traces of previous disgruntlement slowly wafting away. She had a tumultuous personality, Jason had come to realise, but in a good way—Annabeth was at times a very straightforward thinker, reasoning through what was most rational, yet could also surprise you with her intense passion for what she believed in.

"At least we have Potions later. Hades _hates_ Jackson's guts."

* * *

 **Transfiguration Class**

Professor Lupa was very clear about who her favourites were. But not in a biased way—it was just that she liked using her star students as role models for the others to encourage them, through a bit of peer pressure and competition, to hopefully get up to level.

With her cohort of fresh first years, the fearsome wolf Animagus had set her eyes on Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano and Jason Grace. Lupa had seen a fighting spirit in the onyx-eyed Slytherin girl from the moment she had walked into her first lesson ten minutes early, setting out her wand, parchment and quill on the desk directly in front of Lupa. Reyna was keen to learn and indeed a talented witch, picking up on spells with no difficulty. She was quickly developing a mastery over wand movements, such that the wand now seemed an extension of her fingers.

As for Jason Grace, Lupa had keenly watched the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy due to his heritage. She was one of the few who knew of Jason's high-profile, volatile-tempered father. In fact, Lupa had personally trained Jupiter to become an Animagus. Though the she-wolf disliked her former pupil's ego and brash nature, she had to admit that he made quite a dashing eagle. His son, however, was not the reckless Gryffindor that Jupiter had been. Jason was subtle in his brilliance—that was the best way to describe it. The boy had a knack for Transfiguration that would make him an excellent candidate to train to become an Animagus himself, but what Lupa liked most was that the Ravenclaw possessed tact when dealing with others.

"What are you, a muggle?"

Lupa growled at the shrill voice of the resident trouble-stirrer. It hadn't been a year, and there were already rivalries forming within her students—rivalries that Lupa knew would last to the end of their Hogwarts careers and beyond.

"Can't you turn a worm into an apple? What kind of wizard are you, Grace?"

Jason frowned deeper as Octavian, the very kind of slimy snake that gave Slytherin a bad name, taunted him. Refusing to let frustration cloud his mind lest something dangerous happen, Jason put down his wand and reviewed the notes he had made during Lupa's lecture. He never really had trouble with Transfiguration, so he must have simply missed something.

 _POOF!_ Smoke drifted from where Octavian had attempted to transfigure his worm, yet instead of a rosy apple as the assignment had indicated, on his table now sat a brick.

Jason normally didn't like to hold grudges, but Octavian had been expressly picking on him for the past few months, and Jason really didn't like being taunted for no reason at all. "Sometimes people describe apples as being brick red, but you're taking it too far, don't you think?" he quipped.

The class laughed. In the background, Jason heard someone say: "Yeah, what kind of wizard are you, _Octavian_?"

The Slytherin boy fumed. "Wingardium leviosa!"

" _Jason._ Jason!"

Jason lifted his head, only to see Octavian's brick hurtling towards him, fuelled by the newest spell they had learned in Charms and an Octavian scorned.

"Bombarda!"

And in front of Jason's (very wide and very anxious) eyes, the brick imploded, disintegrating into ashes that swayed with a puff of breath from his nose.

Lupa cleared her throat. "Excellent work, Ms Ramirez. Ten points to Slytherin for quick thinking. Fifteen points away, also from Slytherin, for your dangerous shenanigans, Octavian. You could have injured someone. As for Mr Grace, please refrain from provoking your peers in the future."

Jason blinked twice. A few desks across, a slightly shaken Reyna's wand sparked wearily at the tip. She had leaped up to cast the spell. As Jason stared at her with a mixture of shock and wonder, their gazes met for a moment—he saw the ferocity in her eyes, yet also a sliver of doubt, worried that her spell could have backfired. Before Jason could react, she hastily sat back down.

When Lupa turned away to watch another student, Octavian sneered. "Your _girlfriend_ won't be there to save your sorry butt next time, Grace." Jason blushed at the term "girlfriend", but shook his head, more determined now to not let Octavian get to him. Yet when he tried again to catch Reyna's eye, she averted her gaze.

It seemed like hours before class finally ended. Jason had successfully, after one too many tries, transfigured his worm into a fresh red apple. Though Lupa had been colder because of his outburst, she had hummed in appreciation of his success—Jason was just glad that he hadn't gotten detention from the teacher he respected the most.

But he was on a mission.

Hurtling out of the door, Jason stood to the side to let his classmates through until he caught sight of a swinging black braid heading down an opposite corridor. With hurried footsteps, he almost lost Reyna to the post-lesson crowd, managing to lightly tap her shoulder.

"Hey," Jason started, feeling rather lame as Reyna turned to face him. Was it just his nerves or did she also look a bit uncomfortable? "I… I just wanted to say thanks. For what you did back there. Saved me a trip to the infirmary. And quite possibly my life."

Reyna's shoulders eased a bit of their initial tension and her grip on her book bag slackened a little. Cocking her head, she studied the blond, noting that the muted azure tie tucked into his grey sweater complimented his brilliant sky-blue eyes. "You're welcome." She paused, then seemed to reconsider ending their conversation. "Less mess to clean up this way."

Jason laughed genuinely, shoulders shaking with mirth. Reyna really knew how to throw a curveball, and he had no idea where to start with trying to understand the Slytherin. "The spell you used… it was insane."

"I've been meaning to practice it after I read about it in a book," Reyna replied eagerly, her passion seeping through.

"Well, it worked. And I'm grateful. Really." Jason offered her a smile, showing the sincerity of his words.

Reyna only gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then disappeared back into the crowd of students.

* * *

 **Flying Class**

One of Jason's favourite subjects was Flying. Chiron occasionally let his pupil whiz around on a broomstick under his supervision, so Jason had a head start. Though he didn't seem the type, Jason was actually _really_ into Quidditch and loved watching the sport. He hoped to become Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team in third year. Thalia was a budding Beater for Gryffindor, and kept boasting about how the Gryffindor captain and goalie Charles Beckendorf had complimented her flying once.

He also rather liked his classmates, which consisted of no Octavian but the happy additions of Percy and Annabeth.

"Yo cuz," Percy waved, approaching Jason on the Quidditch pitch where the students were instructed to practice their diving techniques. Percy's red-and-gold scarf blew merrily in the autumn wind—he adamantly refused to wear his school tie. ("But Madam Headmistress McGonagall, how can I contribute to discussions in class if my throat is being constricted?")

"Hey," Jason greeted in return, summoning his broomstick to his hands. "Ready to roll?"

Percy grinned enthusiastically. If Jason loved Quidditch, then Percy lived it—his father Poseidon had gone professional in his younger days before becoming a hugely successful businessman, which meant that Percy had been born with the sport in his blood. And it showed, too. Just like Jason, Percy dreamed of becoming a Seeker for his house, arguably the most competitive for Quidditch team spots of all the four. "Yeah, first up to the posts and back to the ground wins! Eat my dust!" Without warning, the black-haired boy sped off on his Nimbus, leaving Jason to hurriedly mount his broomstick in pursuit.

"Woooooooh, and Jackson dives for the snitch…" Percy commentated, executing a swift somersault-180-turn combination over the goalposts and angling his broom in a dive the way they'd been taught to do. Jason laughed gleefully, pausing in midair before diving to gather more momentum.

The overly-excited Percy tumbled off his broom just shy of the ground, unable to stop properly, picking himself up triumphantly as if he'd intended to do just that. A second later, Jason swooped his side with much more grace.

"I win," Percy said, green eyes twinkling with joy. As the two boys came down from the adrenaline rush, he spotted a blonde ponytail and blue robes hovering below the goalposts, as if hesitant to try the dive to the ground. "Jase, look! She's not doing it," Percy pointed out.

Jason watched Annabeth thoughtfully as she circled the goalposts. "I don't think she's the biggest fan of heights." Seeing his cousin's furrowed brow, he knew that yet another classic Percy-and-Annabeth-really-don't-like-each-other-that-much-at-all rant was coming.

Percy hummed. "Well, Annabeth's gotta be bad at _something_. She's good at literally _every subject_ and the teachers like her because she's such a know-it-all!" Percy scuffed his broom against the floor as his voice intensified. "This morning in Charms, she woke me up from a nice dream about Mom's blueberry pancakes by _accio_ 'ing my own quill to tickle me. _My own quill!_ It's unfair enough that I have ADHD and can't sleep at night and can't study every second of my life like _she does_ without stupid Annabeth Chase—"

"Hey, that's my housemate you're talking about, and we Ravenclaws do more than just study," Jason tried to placate.

"Maybe not, but Wise Girl Chase is definitely the Nerd Queen if there ever was one." Percy rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and Jason knew that his cousin wasn't really serious about disliking Annabeth. Maybe Percy felt bad, Jason considered, that everything seemed to come easily to Annabeth. He knew that some other Ravenclaws were jealous of Annabeth's affinity for magic.

Annabeth finally gathered her courage, and remembering every single note that she had heard about safe diving, she zoomed to the ground. A metre above the ground, she suddenly jerked her broomstick up, almost falling off, but managed to even it out to land shakily but safely.

"Whew, that was close," Percy commented. Jason noticed that the Gryffindor's knuckles were white from gripping his broom handle too tightly. Percy dragged his eyes away from Annabeth, focussing back on his cousin. "Let's show Wise Girl how it's _really_ done!"

And they zoomed back up, two specks of black and blond against the sky.

* * *

 **A/N: Hehehehhe the BRICK- I cannot express how excited I was to write that scene when it popped into my head. Next chapter will be Second Year. As always, hope you enjoyed and please leave a review and follow/favourite this story! I really appreciate the support. :)**

 **time-failed-us**


End file.
